I shrugged. “You’re the first boy I’ve ever brought home. I’m sure he’s having delusions of me running off with you and never coming back. Trust me, he’s more scared of you than you are of him.”
Jase laughed out loud sounding more like himself than he had since he’d arrived, and I hoped I’d broken through the tension. I wanted the evening to be fun, not stressful.
“So what are we making?” he asked again since I’d never answered him.
I smiled. “Spaghetti. I’m making your grandmother’s recipe.”
Jase’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Seriously?”
I shrugged. “It’s your favorite, and I wanted to make something special.”
A few weeks before we’d met, Celebrity Weekly had published an article about Jason Brady’s twenty-five favorite things, and I might have cut it out and kept it after I met him. And I might have memorized the list. But one of the things on it was his grandmother’s spaghetti sauce. I’d learned that she was from Italy, and it was an old family recipe that had been handed down through generations. And since I’d wanted to do something nice for him, because he’d flown across the country to surprise me, I figured it was the perfect gesture.
He leaned over and kissed me. “I love you,” he said when he pulled back. “Seriously, no one has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“Really? Chloe never cooked for you?”
He shot me a look of disbelief, and I think he was surprised I was bringing his ex-girlfriend up. I wasn’t a big fan of her since she’d cheated on him and had broken his heart, so we didn’t talk about her much.
I’d finally met her a month earlier when we’d been out at a club, and she’d sidled up to Jase trying to make nice and flirt with him. That was when he introduced me as his girlfriend. She’d shot me a smirk smile and then proceeded to glare at me most of the night whenever we made eye contact. She was a total bitch.
“No, Chloe liked to eat out, but once she did hire a chef to cook for us, which was good, but it was nothing like this. She never made me a family recipe. She wasn’t as incredible as you,” he said, smiling down at me. “How did you get the recipe anyway?”
I smiled back at him. “I asked Nora for it. I told her I wanted to do something nice for you, so she helped me out.”
The corner of his mouth rose as I mentioned his sister’s involvement in my plan. He loved that we were friends, since Nora had never really warmed to Chloe, and she and I had become good friends over the past few months. We were the same age and actually had a lot in common. Jase was close with her, so they hung out a lot, and she and I had bonded pretty much instantly.
My dad came out of the pantry then with two bottles of wine, set them on the island and opened one to let it breathe. Then he reached into the refrigerator, grabbed two beers, wordlessly set one in front of Jase and then settled down on one of the bar stools around the island.
“Thank you,” Jase said, as he opened his beer and took a big swig.
He started to pass it to me to share, and then froze in mid-air, most likely remembering that I wasn’t twenty-one before pulling his arm back and setting the beer on the other side of him.
I shook my head and focused on what I was stirring. Neither Jase nor I chanced a look at my dad.
“So Jase, tell me about this new movie you’re making,” my dad said, speaking up then. “Logan said it’s filming in New Orleans.”
Ah, shit.
I hadn’t exactly told my dad about the details of Jase’s new film. He’d actually signed on to shoot four movies when he’d inked the deal for this film since they were converting a series of books into movies. They were about a rock band, and each movie would feature a different member of the band and his story. Jase was playing the lead guitarist, so his character’s story was the first movie, but he’d have significant roles in all the others.
The issue I had in telling my dad was that the books were all really racy, and the fact that they were converting them to film would be interesting. And let’s just say the audience would see a lot of my boyfriend’s naked body on the big screen. It wasn’t porn, not even close, but there were a decent amount of sex scenes. Jase assured me his front would be covered, but everything else would be on display.
I didn’t love that he was doing it, but I’d sort of encouraged him to sign on to do the movie in the first place, so complaining just seemed wrong. We’d just been friends when the producers had been wooing him to play Griffin Meyers, the lead guitarist, and I knew he’d gone back and forth about whether he wanted to take the risk or not. In the end, after talking through it with me, his agent, his publicist, and his family, he’d made the decision to do it, and because I’d been so supportive at the time, I really couldn’t bitch about it now.
It wasn’t like I was worried about people seeing him mostly naked. He’d stripped down for a scene in The Mulvaneys, and the world already saw him as a sex object, so it wasn’t like that would change. But I was nervous about seeing him with another girl so often, and since I’d read the books, I knew how often he’d be ‘with her’. Unfortunately, I also didn’t know who that girl would be since the producers were having a hard time filling the role of Serena, the sexy music producer who Griffin falls for.
Jase turned to look at my dad and cleared his throat. “It’s called Sons of Sovereignty. It’s, uh, a movie about a band. I play the lead guitarist, and there’s a love story,” he shared, carefully leaving out pretty much all of the juicy details.
I saw my dad nod out of the corner of my eye. “Sounds like something I might like to see.”
Oh, hell no.
Panic suddenly gripped me at the thought of my dad sitting through Jase’s new film.
Jase smiled, but I noticed a dark cloud briefly pass over his face, and I didn’t know what it was all about. I hoped everything was okay with the movie.
“Logan’s made me watch most of your other films,” my dad continued, “and you’re a talented actor.”
My eyes went wide. That was the first time I’d heard him say that since we’d started our Jase Brady movie marathon. I’d made him sit through Radio Riot on DVD, since I thought it was Jase’s best movie to date, and we’d gone to see The Mulvaneys, which was still in the theaters. Then we’d watched seven more of Jase’s more recent movies. I’d brought home my collection, so my dad, who didn’t go to the theater much, would understand the kind of actor Jase was.
I looked up to see Jase’s eyes light up at the compliment. “Thank you very much. That means a lot to me.”
“When’s this new movie coming out?” my dad asked, keeping the conversation going.
“It’ll be out late next year,” Jase told him
I saw the look of intrigue on my dad’s face, and I really hoped he didn’t ask many more questions. I did not want to explain the finer details of the script to him.
“What kind of music does the band play,” he asked, taking the conversation in another direction, I hoped. My dad was really into music.
“Rock,” Jase answered, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough to peak my dad’s interest.
“Think Rise Against or Linkin Park,” I explained before he could ask.
He nodded in appreciation. “My kind of music.”
“My dad has seen Linkin Park five times,” I explained to Jase, and I saw a new appreciation for my father flash across his face. “In fact, he saw them on one of their first tours back in 2001. You saw them at Ozzfest, right, Dad?”
I watched Jase’s eyebrow raise in question, since 2001 hadn’t been that long ago, and I think he was trying to picture my clean cut, preppy dad at an outdoor rock festival. But my dad was young, and he still went to concerts. Even though he looked polished, he could rock out. He and I had attended many shows together over the years. In fact, we’d met Sasha at The Killers concert we’d gone to over a year ago. She was as big of a fan of alternative rock as my dad was, which was one of the reasons they got along so well.
My dad sh
rugged. “I did. I had Logan during the school year, but during the summer she went to her mom’s house every year, and I needed things to occupy my time, so I went to a lot of concerts.”
I smiled, and Jase nodded and looked over at me, smirking slightly. “So that’s where Logan gets her taste in music. It all makes sense now.”
I bumped him playfully with my hip and turned to my dad. “Jase likes to make fun of my music, because I like angry rock. He’s more mellow.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” my dad said, taking a sip of his beer. “I’m into it all, but Logan has always gravitated toward angry music. She was a big fan of P!nk, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy growing up. She was a very angst-ridden child.”
Jase laughed. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what she makes me listen now,” he commented, so I elbowed him playfully.
I was glad to see they were getting along so well. Now that the ice had been broken, I felt relieved.
“Hey, just because I’m don’t listen to The Black Keys and The Horrible Crowes constantly doesn’t mean I don’t have good taste,” I defended.
Jase leaned close to me. “I never said you didn’t,” he said softly, giving me his barely there smile that looked like he had a secret just for me. “And you like both of those bands.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I know I do. They’re pretty awesome.”
“Hell yeah, they are,” he murmured under his breath.
“So are they teaching you how to play guitar for the movie?” my dad asked, clearly intrigued by Jase’s next role.
I had no doubt once he learned that Jase had been taking guitar lessons for the past two months, they’d be jamming out, and that would solidify Jase’s worthiness in his eyes.
My dad’s cell phone chose that moment to ring, and he looked down at it, shaking his head. “Work,” he muttered. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“That’s fine, Dad,” I said as he left the room.
Jase grabbed my arm that was stirring the tomatoes I’d chopped, mixing them with the onions and garlic. I looked up at him in surprise and didn’t enjoy the look on his face. He’d gone from playful to serious in about a second.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to tell you something,” he said suddenly and panic gripped me. Something was wrong. What the hell kind of bomb was he going to drop on me? Did he not like my dad? Had he said something to offend Jase? I wracked my brain trying to remember any part of the conversation that hadn’t been aboveboard. I couldn’t think of anything.
“Okay,” I said cautiously. “What’s going on?”
He took a deep breath. “Do you want to sit?”
I felt my face getting flushed and not in a good way. “No, Jase. I’m good, but you’re freaking me out. What happened?”
He took another deep breath, leaned back against the island and threaded his arms around my waist. It was almost as if he felt like I might run, and he wanted to keep me in the room. All I could think was, what the hell is going on?!
“They cast the female lead in Sons of Sovereignty.”
I was sure I looked confused for a second, because I wasn’t sure what the big deal was. “Okay. Who is it?”
Jase looked like he didn’t want to tell me, and I started to get nervous.
“Chloe,” he finally said, and my eyes went wide.
“What?!”
He nodded. “I know. It sucks, and Erica tried to push back on the decision because of my history with Chloe, but the director is convinced she’s perfect for the role of Serena.”
I closed my eyes for a few seconds as I realized my worst nightmare had come true. Of all the actresses in Hollywood, they had to cast his ex. Seriously! What the hell were the odds? But Jase was already freaked out, so I didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.
“Well, you two do look good together, and she’s really beautiful. I guess she sort of does look like how the author described Serena,” I said as positively as I could.
Jase looked taken aback, so I was pretty proud of my acting job. I was sure he expected me to pitch a fit and get upset, but honestly that wasn’t really me, and what could I do. If Erica, his agent, couldn’t get the producers to change their minds, then what the hell could I do?
But this sucked. That meant Jase was not only going to be almost naked around his ex-girlfriend, but he’d be committed to filming four movies with her. That blew.
“Logan, really?” Jase asked, possibly not buying my acting as much as I thought. I noticed his grip around my waist got just a bit tighter.
“Hey,” I said, aiming for polished honesty. “I’m not thrilled with the idea, but if it’ll make the movie great, then it’s what’s best.”
He sighed. “Yeah, but I can’t stand her. I’m going to have to be near her and kiss her and–” he paused and made a gagging face that made me smile.
“You’re not really kissing her,” I reasoned, even if the thought of a fake kiss made me sick to my stomach.
“I’d rather kiss you. Why can’t you be in my movie?” he suggested.
Uh, because I’m not about to bare my breasts to the world.
“Because I don’t act.”
“You could,” he said, getting all excited.
I rolled my eyes playfully. “Keep dreaming. Acting is your gig, and I’m supportive, but it’s not for me. I’m sorry your co-star sucks, but just think of this as a sacrifice you have to make for the greater good of the movie, which is going to be so awesome.”
He grinned. “You’re such a cool girlfriend.”
I shrugged and smiled. “I’m just trying to help keep things in perspective for you.”
“And I love you for it. I was truthfully really nervous about telling you. I got the call when we were at the airport, and all throughout the flight I just kept picturing your reaction. Thank you for being understanding. It means a lot to me.”
Yeah, I’m a pretty awesome girlfriend.
He leaned down and kissed me then, but it was just a brief kiss as I was sure he was paranoid that my dad would walk back into the kitchen at any moment. When he released me, he hugged me against his chest, and I suddenly had visions of Chloe in that same spot. It made my stomach turn, and I had to remind myself when she was in that spot and he was looking into her eyes like he looked into mine, and when he was kissing her body, it wouldn’t be real.
What we had was real. I got the real Jase. She got Jason Brady, the actor.
I just had to keep things in perspective.
Chapter Four
Ethan
“E? Are you home?”
My ears perked up as I heard Logan come in the front door. I hadn’t seen her in three weeks, and I’d missed her like hell.
I jumped up from the couch and ran into the front hall, wrapping her up in my arms and spinning her around and few times while she screamed at me to put her down. So I complied, lowering her slow to the ground but taking the opportunity to let her slide down my body along the way. I was so inappropriately capitalizing on the moment, and I knew it. I was shameless.
“How are you?” she asked brightly, as she pushed past me into the house, not thinking twice about what I’d done.
We’d been close our whole lives, had shared beds, hugged, and even cuddled with each other, but it had always been strictly platonic on both sides, so fortunately my gratuitous, opportunistic touching had gone unnoticed. Thank God.
“I’m fantastic,” I responded cheerfully, because I was always in a great mood when she was around.
“What did you do over break?”
Lizzie. And Kara.
Okay, I wasn’t actually going to say that out loud. Logan knew I hooked up a lot, but for some reason, now I didn’t want her to know. I wanted her to think I was a good guy, worthy of her, and she was pure and innocent. Jase was the first guy she’d ever slept with.
I shrugged. “Surfed, hung out with the family. Gare and I went up to San Francisco to see Kelly and Devin, and I got this.”
I turned
and lifted my shirtsleeve so she could see bright blue and black tribal symbol of waves on my shoulder. My sister Kelly’s best friend, Harper, was a tattoo artist, so I’d let her ink me while we were there, wanting to get something symbolic that echoed the thing I loved the most – surfing.
It was my first tattoo, but I hadn’t even noticed the pain since my attention was fully on Harper while she worked on me. She was hot as fuck. If she didn’t have a boyfriend, I probably would have tried to tap that, but later that night we’d all hung out and her boyfriend had been there, so I’d begrudgingly stayed away.
“Nice,” Logan said, and I wondered if she even liked tattoos. She’d never said anything either way about them. What if she wasn’t a fan?
“Oh, my God, the weather is gorgeous today,” she gushed, walking forward to the windows that made up most of the back wall of our house on the beach. She spun and face me, pulling her tank top over her head as she did, giving me a prime view of her perfect breasts. “I’m going out. The waves look awesome. You want to come?”
I grinned. “Definitely, but unlike you, I didn’t come over wearing my bathing suit, so I need to change.”
“Meet me down there,” she said, as she slid her jeans off to reveal the pink bikini bottoms that I loved because her ass cheeks peaked out of the bottom.
Her shoulder length blond hair was pulled into pigtails, and she looked so freakin’ sexy. She had the hottest, tightest little body, and I seriously wanted to run my hands all over it. She’d probably have her full wetsuit on in about five minutes, so I needed to drink in the view while I could.
It was too cold to go without coverage. The water was like ice, but maybe that’s what I needed since I was sort of starting to sprout wood just looking at her. That would be incredibly awkward if she saw, and then I would have to explain myself, and that would be bad. Yeah, cold water would be great.
Ten minutes later we were paddling out into that icy water and trying to get used to the temperature. Thankfully the sun was out, and thankfully my hard-on was long gone.
“So how’s the actor?” I asked her, purposefully not using his name.
Gravity Happens (Forcing Gravity) Page 3